Funny It Takes So Long To Change Water In A Cory Tank! :)

I went to do a routine water change today - give the sand the normal bit of vacuuming & change water, that's all I needed to do. I only have one tank, with some aeneus cory & one red bristlenose - I have a Python & I didn't even need to rinse filter media today or do anything extra, so it shouldn't take very long at all, right?

Well, it's almost 2 hours later that I'm finally rolling up the Python to put it away. WHY does it take me SO long to do a simple basic water change?

It surely has nothing to do with the fact that my sweet babies practically hypnotize me & *force* me to sit down by the tank to watch their antics & cute behaviors? Naw, that couldn't be a factor at all... Haha....

Several of my little darlings seem to love the downward inflow of water when I refill the tank! They'll circle the spot where the water is pushing downward, then dart right into the flow, swish around there for a moment, then dart back out - then repeat over & over again - it's so funny/cute to watch! Some of them are a bit more skittish & hide somewhat throughout most of the process, maybe swimming upfront for a moment to check things out, then back into hiding - but the more playful ones are such a joy to watch! My two albino girls particularly seem to be especially playful.

So, the tank gets refilled.... then of course, the babies deserve some kind of a little treat for putting up with mama messing around in their home - so today, they get a chunk of Repashy "Grub Pie" - I swear, that stuff is like crack-for-corys! They go absolutely nuts for it! So cute to watch them... you'd think I hadn't fed them for a month, to see the way they go after their Grub Pie!

Once I turn the filters back on, after water fill & letting them eat - then my one most clownish & playful albino girl invariably has to do her "water slide" routine in the flow from the small power head.... she'll swim up beside it, then "jump" right into the flow & wheeeeeeee!!!! off to the other end of the tank she goes!! She'll usually repeat this a good number of times before she seems to get tired of it! I've seen some of the others do this sometimes, but this one girl seems to really love it & does it quite frequently - and she *always* does it, whenever the filters were turned off - it's like it's something totally "brand-new" to her again, once they're turned back on! it's absolutely hilarious/adorable to watch! (It's just a small powerhead, not a very strong output at all, but just enough to give her a little "slide-ride" across the tank! ) Sometimes, she'll swim back against the current, oh how those little fins will be going! then "let go" again when she gets to the start, but usually she'll swim outside the flow, then jump headlong into the flow once she's up beside the powerhead again...

Opal, my largest green girl & an absolute beauty, tends to hang out at the front of the tank for a while after getting a goodie to eat, sitting there looking right at me - so I surely can't be rude & just walk away from her, can I? When they look right straight at you & you're seeing that sweet little face head-on... there is just something about seeing them face-first, rather than a side-view... those cute barbels & that precious little face.....oh my heart could just melt....

Various random behaviors from everyone else, of course - but it seems there are a few actions/behaviors I can pretty well count on, that happen most every time.... (including mama getting stuck in her chair by the tank & unable to get up & do anything else!! )

But... I still can NOT figure out why it takes me so long to do a simple basic water change in this tank! Can anyone help me???

 

Hahaha that's great. I agree Corys are the ultimate characters!! You forgot to mention 1 thing in your story. In the middle of your WC You also had to check to see if you got any new alerts on Fishlore

 

Hahaha that's great. I agree Corys are the ultimate characters!! You forgot to mention 1 thing in your story. In the middle of your WC You also had to check to see if you got any new alerts on Fishlore

Haha!!! Aw, usually I check email, look at Fishlore & other forums I follow during my morning coffee / wake-up time.... as much as I enjoy reading Fishlore & I SO appreciate all the help folks here have given me - still, it's not quite enough to draw me away from my cory-kids when they have my attention!

 

Mine takes a couple of hrs because the water pressure is so low but I just spend the time refilling with the hose in an old 2L ice cream bucket so it doesn't disturb the substrate watching my fish.

 

My Rasboras love current as well. They will always hang out wherever the strongest current is. If I have the outlet above the water they will actually jump in to it.

 

Thank you for sharing your tips on cleaning a cory tank

I absolutely cannot imagine a tank without corys in it. I call them my cute little vacuum cleaners. I never have to worry about food being left sitting on my substrate since they are constantly on the move searching for tidbits. They get their own food each night after lights out but still get to eat whatever makes it to the bottom of the tank during feeding time for their tank mates.

 

about 10 minutes

 

I thought your post was going to be about them trying to go into the tube. Haha mine always start to swim into it while I’m trying to empty it. I have to keep an eye on them or put a mesh bag over the python. Cories definitely do have a lot of personality, so cute!

 

about 10 minutes

Maybe I need to start wearing a blindfold -- it's just that part where they FORCE me to give them a treat, then sit & watch them eat & play & be the silly cute adorable fish that they are... next thing I know, the entire morning is gone before I can tear myself away... LOL

It kinda reminds me of when my husband was still alive & we were in a much larger home- we had 12 ferrets (mostly rescues, and all free-roaming - they had their cages in their own bedroom, but they were free to go in & out as they pleased, so they were out 90% of the time...) -- I'd get started on some housework & before I got anything at all done, *someone* wanted mama to come play ball with them, or give them a blankie-ride or was begging for a treat, or just being sillier than usual... so every task I tried to complete took 3 times longer than it would have in a house without furkids! Corys are kinda like water-ferrets - adorable, playful, goofy, silly & just so durn CUTE, that you can't resist them! <3

 

I absolutely cannot imagine a tank without corys in it.

Oh, I can't either! I thought about adding a few other fish, but decided against it... corys and plecos are all I ever really want. If/when I can ever have a BIG tank, or multiple tanks, I'd just get lots more corys, and a couple more plecos! But in my current situation, the only other thing that I've considered

 

Oh, I can't either! I thought about adding a few other fish, but decided against it... corys and plecos are all I ever really want. If/when I can ever have a BIG tank, or multiple tanks, I'd just get lots more corys, and a couple more plecos! But in my current situation, the only other thing that I've considered

I just have to say, you are a great mom to your creatures! And that's obvious by the way you actually enjoy and get through the hard work of it all. And that's the whole point of caring for all our critters. When you do the work, you get the rewards! Cheers.

 

Oh, I can't either! I thought about adding a few other fish, but decided against it... corys and plecos are all I ever really want. If/when I can ever have a BIG tank, or multiple tanks, I'd just get lots more corys, and a couple more plecos! But in my current situation, the only other thing that I've considered

Yep a case of Coryditis again.
We might need to set up a rehabcentre for this addiction.